Mail-carrier.



J. CUNNINGHAM.

MAIL CARRIER- APPUCATIDN HLED JAN- 3, 1918.

1,260,877. Patented 11:11:26, 1918.

J. CuNNiNeHAM as; 14.8. M1122 arm "a;

To all whom it may concern? JosEPi: cnnnmoruim, .01 soon: BETHLEHEM,rENNsvLvAmA,

MAIL-CARRIER.

' Be it known that I, JOSEPH CUNNIEGHAM,

a citizen of the United States, residing at in the 'artto which'itappertains to make and use the same. l -V The present 1n'vention relatesto a rural route mail carrier, and has forits' ob ect to provide a'device of this character which embodies novel features of constructionwhereby the mail box is mounted to be moved back and, forth between thehouse and the road, thereby avoiding unnecessary trips to theroad for:the purpose of depositing mail or ascertaining if anything has been leftby the postman.

Further objects'of he invention are to provide a rural route mailcarrier which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its aconstruction, whichucan be easily installed, 'which can be easilyandiquickly manipulated to move the box backand forth between the roadandthe house, and which is so constructed as to render it impossible forthe mail to be lost from the box at an intermediate point in the travelthereof.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fullyappear as the description proceeds, v the novel features thereof beingpointed out in the appended claims.

track;

v For a full understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had tothe followingdescription and accompanyingdrawings, wh1ch:- I a g I Figure 1 1s a side elevatlon of .a rural routemail carrier constructed in accordance with the invention the mail boxand supporting hanger being shown as positioned at an intermediate pointthe length o f the Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the mail box and hangerwith the hanger partly broken away and the box in transverse section,parts being broken away and the door of the box W Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 191a.

Application filed. January a, 1918, Serial No. 210,120.

dotted lines as swung outshown by dotted lines as tilted into an angularposition for releasing thelatch controlllng the door.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings l the samereference characters.

Referrng to-the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of a theinvention, the

numeral 1 designates a bracket plate which elevation to some portion ofthe house by suitable fastening members such as the screws 2. The upperedge of thebracket plate is formed with an outstanding horizontal wing3, and immediately below the said wing a vertically disposed groovedwheel 4 is journaled between a pair of outstanding arms 5. Secured to apost 6 orsimilar supporting member at a convenient point ad acent to theroad, is a bracket plate 7 which has a vertically elongated formation,the upper end thereof "being provided with an outstanding horizontalwing 8 and a pair of is designed to be rigidlysecured at a suitable arms9 between which a grooved wheel 10 corresponding to the before mentionedwheel 4 is journaled. This elongated bracket plate is designed to besecured to the post 6 by suitable fastening members 11 with the wing Satthe upper end thereof positioned as nearly as possible'in a horizontalplane with the corresponding wing 3 of the plate 1. v

A cable track 12 connects the wing 3 of the plate 1 and the wing 8 ofthe plate 7, said track being stretched taut and each end thereofsecurely fastened to the wing of the respective plate. An endless cable13 is arranged immediately below the track 13 and passes around the twogrooved'guide The lower end of the hanger terminates in an inwardlyoil-set cam extension which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 17connecting the spaced upstanding ears 18 of a plate 19 which is securedto the top of the mail box 20. The lower end of the cam extension 16normally projects slightly into the top of the box through a slot 21provided'between the ears 18. The upper reach of the endless cable 13 issecured to the hanger 14 by means of a fastener22, while the lower reachof the'cabl'e may pass loosely through a guide eye 23 provided at oneend of the-pivot pin 17 thereby preventing it from rubbing against thesides of the :box. l/Vith this construction it will be obvious that bymanipu- .lating the endless cable 13 the mail box can be caused totravel back and for h upon the track 12 between the house and the road.

. .In the particular embodiment of the in vention which has beenillustrated, the door 24 of the box closes the front thereof, beinghinged at 25 to thebottom of the box. The

swinging end ofthe door is shown as provided with a keeper 26 adapted tobe engaged by the nose of a spring latch 27 which projects from the backof the box.

diately below the wing with'a pair of out- This latch member extendsacross the slot 21 and .the resiliency thereof normally tends to swingthe nose of the latch upwardly into an inoperative position so as todlsengage 1t from-the keeper 26 and permit the door 24:

to ,be opened. However, as long as the box hangs freely from the trackandis in an upright position, the lower end of the cam extension 16 ofthe hanger engages the latch .member 27 to flex the same downwardly andhold the same in operative position, as indicated by Fig. 2. When it isdesired to open the ,mail box it is merely necessary to swing the latterinto an angular position about the pivot pin '17 as a center, asindicated by dotted lines on Fig. 3. The latchmeniber 127 will then beswung away from the cam rigidly mounted at a distance apart, each of theplates having a horizontal wing at ts upper end and be ng provldedimmebracket plates,

and pivotally wings of the two plates, an endless'cable passing aroundthe guide wheels, a hanger provided with a grooved wheel mounted totravel upon the track, and a box suspended from the hanger, the endlesscablebeing connected to the hanger for'moving the same back and forthupon the track.

12. A rural route 'mail carrier, including a pairof bracket platesmounted at a distance apart, a cable track stretched between the bracketplates, guide wheels carried by the an endless cable extending around.the guide wheels and arranged immediately below the track, a hangerprovided with a grooved wheel, adapted to engage the track, aboxsuspended from the hanger,;and guide means on the hanger for looselyengaging one reach of the endless to the hanger for moving and forthupon the track. t 3. A'ruralroute mail 'carrler, lncludin'gza the hangerpair of bracket plates rigidly mounted at .a

ing a guide eye at one. end thereof which provided with a grooved] wheelcable, theother reachthereofbeingsecured V loosely receives one reach ofthe endless cable, the other reach of the endless cable being secured tothe hanger for moving it back and forth upon the track.

4. A rural route mail arrier, including an elevated track, a'hangerprovided with a grooved wheel adapted to traveluponthe track, abox suspended from the hanger connected thereto, a door for the box, anda door latch controlled by the swinging movements of the box about itspivotal connection with the hanger.

5. A rural route mail carrier, including anelevated track, a hangerprovidedwith a grooved wheel adapted to travel upon the track andterminating at its lower end in a cam extension, a box pivotallyconnected to the hanger and pendent therefrom, a door for the box, and adoor latch engaged by the cam extension of the hanger and an rangedto bereleased thereby when the box is swung into an angular position withrespect to the hanger; 7 t V 6. A rural route mail carrier, including anoverhead track, afhanger provided with a grooved wheel adapted totravel-uponthe track and ter L l ngrmjts-lmerxend in Learn extension, abox pivotally suspended standing arms, gnide wheel'sfirournaledbetweenthe bilstanding armsof the bracket plates, a cable track stretchedbetween the from the hanger and provided with an openingrecelving' thecam extensioma door for the box, and a resilient-door latch extendingacross the opening of the box so as to be i In testimony whereof I havesigned my engaged by the cam extension of the hanger, name to thisspecification in the presence of the door latch being held in operativepositwo subscribing witnesses.

tion while the box hangs in an upright posi- JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM. 5 tion,being released when the box is tilted Witnesses:

into an angular position with respect to the MARK DEVLIN, hanger. DENNISJ. MCCARTHY.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eotento,

, a 7 Washington, D. 0."

